Evolution Characteristics of Extreme Precipitation in Northern China: A Case Study of Chaohu Lake Basin
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70917/jcc-2026-019Keywords:
Chaohu Lake Basin, extreme precipitation, mutation diagnosis, probability distributionAbstract
Under the background of global climate change, extreme precipitation events are becoming more frequent in the monsoon region of northern China. The Chaohu Lake Basin, as a typical transitional zone in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, has a precipitation variability that is simultaneously influenced by the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere and the expansion of the Hefei metropolitan area. Based on daily precipitation data from 15 meteorological stations, this study aims to investigate the spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of extreme precipitation in the basin from 1961 to 2019 by constructing a "Trend-Mutation-Probability (TMP)" three-dimensional analysis framework. Results show: 1) The annual average precipitation in the Chaohu Lake Basin shows a significant upward trend (2.4 mm/yr, p < 0.05), with a more significant increase at the edge stations (such as station 15 reaching 5.1 mm/yr); 2) The year of the precipitation mutation point is 1979 (H = 0.52), and after the mutation, the 90th percentile (P=0.9) precipitation increases by 154.6 mm; 3) The PRCPTOT index shows the most significant growth (2.4 mm/yr), and the frequency of extreme events significantly increases. This study not only presents the novel TMP diagnostic framework for broader application but also delivers specific, actionable insights for updating flood risk management policies and infrastructure design standards in the densely populated Yangtze River Delta, thereby strengthening the region's climate resilience.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ye Zhang, Leizhi Wang, Dan Tian , Wei ZHU, Lei Wu, Pengxin Deng, Jianwen Hu (Author)

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